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How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Gluten-Free)

It’s surprisingly easy and fun to make your own Vietnamese Spring Rolls at home. Great as appetizers and lunch. Have a Spring Roll party. These are delicious, fresh, and healthy. Bonus: They happen to be gluten-free.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

I’m beyond excited about today’s recipe + tutorial.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls are one of my favorite foods on the planet. These were love at first bite for me, and I’ve faithfully ordered them at every Vietnamese restaurant we’ve gone to (which is a lot.)  And I don’t share.

I love my peeps, but they have to order their own spring rolls. If someone somehow can’t finish theirs (how?), I’m on it before they ask.

Unlike summer rolls, which are essentially fried egg rolls, Spring Rolls are incredibly light and healthy. Each spring roll is a delectable balance of fresh veggies, chewy rice noodles, tender shrimp, and fragrant herbs. All hugged together inside a fun rice “paper” wrapper.

Some of you will be tickled to know: these just happen to be gluten-free.

And the peanut sauce? It is so so good. Don’t be lured into dipping your spring rolls into just-okay sauce. Ya gotta try this stunning peanut sauce because it makes all the difference.

How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls:


That ↑ was way easier than you might have thought, yes?

And fun. Deliciously fun. 💫

Let’s get rolling…

vietnamese spring rolls
Rice Paper Wrappers

Rice paper wrappers

First off, you’ll need a package of rice paper wrappers. Obviously not really paper, but these guys are super thin and fragile. Just be sure to grab these clear-ish, almost transparent rice wrappers, and not the opaque egg roll ones.

Do handle with care. Soak wrappers one at a time in hot water just until they’re softened. They’ll morph from crispy to chewy soft right before your eyes.

Once your wrapper is nice and pliable, it’s party time. Fill ’em up with all the fresh goodies and wrap them gently. It probably won’t look magazine perfect at first, so give yourself a couple trial runs. Once you’ve got the hang of wrapping, it’ll go fast. If you gather a wrapping buddy or two, it’s even better – an official spring roll party.

Make as many as you want, but make only what you and your peeps will eat. Vietnamese spring rolls are delicious when freshly made, but they’re not a candidate for leftovers. You can always save the leftover filling and wrap new rolls when ready to eat again.

vietnamese spring rolls peanut sauce
Creamy Peanut Sauce for Spring Rolls

Amazing sauce for your spring rolls

This sauce is boss. That’s all.

It’s creamy, savory, peanutty, and awesome. The lime brings out a refreshing flavor that can’t be beat.

It’s worth stirring together a few ingredients to make your own. Way better than any store bought sauce. I always like to make extra sauce and use it for salads, noodles, etc. The sauce does keep well when stored in fridge, so feel free to keep some on hand.

vietnamese spring rolls
Fresh Spring Rolls, your way

I’ll think my family likes me a little bit better when I make Vietnamese Spring Rolls at home vs. ordering them at restaurants.

Because I make so many of them, I actually share. 😋

Happy rolling.

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

vietnamese spring rolls

How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls (Gluten-Free)

5 from 7 ratings
It's surprisingly easy and fun to make your own Vietnamese Spring Rolls at home. They're light, healthy, and delicious! Plus, they're gluten-free.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

For the Dipping Sauce:

  • 3 TB creamy peanut butter
  • 3 TB hoisin sauce
  • Freshly squeezed lime juice, from 2 small limes
  • 2 tsp garlic chili sauce, or use 2 tsp Sriracha + 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 2-3 TB water

For the Spring Rolls:

  • 7 oz. dry rice vermicelli, thin rice noodles
  • Asian toasted sesame oil
  • 1 package, about 8 count dry, translucent rice wrappers (not egg roll ones)
  • 1 pound cooked jumbo shrimp, sliced in half (similar to butterfly-cut, but cut all the way through)
  • 1 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1 cup julienned cucumber
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1 cup thinly sliced green leaf lettuce
  • 1 bunch mint leaves
  • 1 bunch cilantro leaves
  • 1 bunch Thai basil leaves

Instructions

  • Make the Dipping Sauce: In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients except water. Whisk to combine well. Add enough of the water to thin to desired consistency. Cover and chill until ready to use.
  • Make the Spring Rolls: Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions, just to al dente. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Sprinkle with enough Asian sesame oil to loosen and prevent sticking. Set aside.
  • Fill a large, wide bowl with hot water. Working one at a time, gently submerge a rice wrapper into the water just until it becomes soft and pliable (depending on the temp of your water, it can vary from a few seconds to about 30 seconds.) Gently lift the wrapper, place on a flat working surface, and start filling: lay down 3 pieces of shrimp, followed by a small handful of carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, and lettuce (be sure to leave about 1-inch margins around edges of wrapper.) Add a few mint leaves, cilantro, and Thai basil leaves into the filling.
  • Gently tuck/fold in the sides and roll as gently yet tightly as you can, taking care to keep filling from moving toward the edges. Press the finished edges together gently to seal. Keep wrapped spring rolls covered with a damp cloth while you finish wrapping the remaining rolls. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Notes

See video tutorial above for how to wrap the spring rolls.
Leftover filling can be covered, chilled, and re-used for fresh wrapping next time. Once wrapped, the rolls should be eaten immediately.
Spring rolls are gluten-free. If needed, look for gluten-free hoisin sauce. 
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating 🙂 

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.2g | Protein: 9.1g | Fat: 1.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 45.7mg | Sodium: 134.5mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3.5g
Course: appetizers, sides
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Diet: Gluten Free
Method: Wrapping

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60 comments

    • Beth

    What do you do with the cooked rice noodles? Also, do local grocery stores have the rice wrappers? I really want to make this!

      • chewoutloud

      Beth, the noodles go into the filling. So good

    • alisonrost

    Too funny that I ran across your post. I just got back from getting my nails done. The owners of the shop are from Vietnam and I swear she’s one of the best cooks ever. What was she telling me how to make? Spring rolls. I can’t wait to make your version .. they’re a complete meal unto themselves with veggies and protein. Plus, they’re so colorful and healthy! x

      • chewoutloud

      I’m in love with Vietnamese food too! Hope you love this and thanks for being here today, Alison

    • jazziepickles

    I don’t eat seafood, but these look tasty, I’m gonna try and adapt your recipe and add chicken instead.

      • chewoutloud

      Chicken would work, or you can even go vegetarian on these

    • Never Say Die Beauty

    One of your photos of the spring rolls stopped me in my tracks on IG earlier today. They looked both beautiful and delicious. I have made spring rolls in the past but these are more spectacular! Thank you for the recipe. I definitely will try making them.

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks so much!

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